AGARTALA, Oct 19 (TIWN): Gatherings in the night of Durga puja at Agartala is expected to get hampered with the suspension of Railways as well as dilapidated condition of NH44 just ahead of the peak time of Durga puja.

Every year huge number of people throngs at the Agartala city to enjoy the glamorous festival of Agartala city but this year it is expected that the gatherings will be less compare to the earlier years.  Poor measures of transportation with dilapidated condition of NH44 and suspension of railway service have closed all the doors for the people of different parts of the state to travel to the city during puja.

Suspension of Rail line is likely to cater fewer crowds during this year’s Durga Puja. It is to be mentioned here that Agartala-Karimganj railway is suspended for BG conversion work. Therefore it is expected that the crowd will be less compared to the other years on the four auspicious days of Durga puja. Earlier people from Dharmanagar, Kailashahar, Kumarghat, Monu and various other places use to come to Agartala to enjoy Durga puja through rail. But the suspension of railway network to Agartala is expected to affect the gathering at Durga puja. People who opted to come to Agartala within no time, now they have no option to travel to Agartala with poor condition of transportation facility at Agartala. Earlier, people from various parts of the state used the rail route to reach to Agartala within 3 to 4 hours at night. Whole night they use to enjoy Durga Puja at Agartala and next morning they use to leave for their home, which is not possible for the people this year.

However, the traders are also facing problem with the suspension of the railway line. When there was railway facility they could use railway line to bring the goods for their business but now they will be forced to use disabled NH-44 and they had to face delay in the delivery of the goods.

The initiative of ‘Mega Block’ has been taken in order to facilitate faster conversion of Railway from meter gauge to broad gauge track. State Govt's apathy towards maintaining NH-44 in proper condition resulted in turning Tripura's lifeline NH-44 into a ditch in CM Manik Sarkar's so called 'golden era'.

It is to be mentioned here that the train service is already suspended from October 1 until the conversion is ended. The service will remain suspended during the construction work and laying BG tracks replacing the meter gauge.

However, once the BG conversion work is ended successfully, people can travel to any other parts of the country from Agartala. Besides, Agartala station is all set to receive a bee storming gathering of passengers following which another entry point would be constructed here in Agartala.